The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1887-05-18
Our Harrlsburs Letter.
From oar special Correspondent.
HARRfsBuRa. Nav Ia. /


HARRfsBuRG. May Ia. 1887.
As the. session draws to a close, the excite
ment seems TO increase. The extreme desire
for some members 10 have special orders for
their bills often creates lively discussion and
amusing incidents. On Monday evening
nearly the whole session was taken up in
making such orders, and then voting them
down. The fact that Booth played Hamlet
that evening induced many members 70 va
cate their seats to see that mastery produc-
tion, but a quorum kept the session up until
a late hour.
On Tuesday the work was begun in earnest
and kept up all week. II was manifest that
unless the House got down to earnest and
good work, much important legislation must
be left undone The Appropriation bills
were all passed by the House, also ali local
and special bills, and many of the Senate
bills.
The Senate has been at work all week,
holding two, and sometimes three sessions q
day, and have passed nearly ali the House
bills, especially the Appropriation bills. The
Legislative Apportionment bill has been
signed by the Governor and l. now "a law
The Congressional Apportionment bill as re-
ported from the Senate Committee makes
very many important changes, but leaves
your district the same as il was Senator AL
exander wisely abandoning the idea Of put
ting Fulton in the district. The bill as re-
ported TO the Senate will pass that body on
Tuesday, and the House siIl more than ike
ly concur in the amendments, and the bill
will become law. The Senate bill has also
been considerably altered, ard viii meet with
much opposition in the Senate, as well as in
the House. 1t is now doubted ifthe bill will
pass the Senate, inasmueh as the Republicans
will loose three members. Much as the los
ing of three members is regretted by all good
Republican members, it is Thought by the
best element that the Legislature ought to
pass some bill as a party measure and that
fact will 90 great ways towards passing
some kind ofa bill. II is the only bill in
which there is the least trouble SC far as the
final adjournment is concerned, and the fact
that it was not passed would not prevent
final adjournment
The Revenue bill has been amended in the
Senate 50 as to exempt manufacturing corpo-
ratiOns, beside some other changes. The
House refused to concur in the Senate's
amendments, and it has gone TO a Commit
tee circumference, who win report early next
week. This bill is believed to be a decided
improvement on the Act Of 1885. and while
many of the members would ike TO see the
manufacturing corporstions taxed, yet even
wish them exempted it being such an i'm
provement on the former law as to cause
them to accept it a. the best possible result of
very difficult question.
The Senate, after sleeping over its reckless
amendments to the High License bill. recon-
sidered the same and failed to adopt them.
and the same came 10 the House for concur
renee, which was promptly concurred in, and
II has since been signed by the Governor and
is now law. This is believed to be very
important piece of legislation and much
credit is due those members who 50 faithful
ly stood by the bill in the long and tedious
hours through which the bill passed in its
efforts to become a law The prompt man
ner in which the Chief Executiveput his sig
nature 20 the bill shows the importance of
the law, and il in striking contrast with the
puny, sickening veto of like measure from
the Democratic Governor of New York, and
verities the truth of the fact that the Demo-
cratic party is the party of rum and
ra-cality, while it proves that the
Republican party is always on the side
of morals and good legislation. The
Governor has also signed the repeal of the
bounty scalp law This leaves the law as it
now stands with bounty on wolves and
wildcats. and repealed a to everything else.
The Barclay Warner contested election
case came up for consideration on Tuesday
1t was bitterly opposed by the Democrats,
and few weakened Republicans either vo-
ted with them. or refused 70 vote at all but
the report of the committee, which gave Bar
clay, the Republican, his seat. was adopted
by large majority The case was a close
one, and gave the Republican member his
seat by one vote
A session was held on Friday afternoon,
and one will be held on Monday, in order to
get through with important work. prepara-
tory to adjournment. All talk of extending
the session is done away with, and there is
no doubt that next Thursday noon will
ind the General Assembly for the year 1887,
no more
purrTP